U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,018,895, 4,194,009, and 4,314,081 disclose 3-aryloxy-3-phenylpropanamines as being potent, selective, blockers of the uptake of certain monoamines. For example, the hydrochloride salt of fluoxetine (dl-N-methyl-.gamma.-[4-(trifluoromethyl)phenoxy]benzenepropanamine) is a selective serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine) uptake inhibitor useful in the treatment of depression, anxiety, obesity, and other disorders. Similarly, tomoxetine hydrochloride ((-)-N-methyl-.gamma.-(2-methylphenoxy)benzenepropanamine hydrochloride) is a selective inhibitor of norepinephrine uptake currently undergoing clinical investigation for antidepressant activity.
An object of this invention is to provide certain propanamines, substituted at the 3-position with a thio, sulfinyl or sulfonyl moiety, which are also potent, selective inhibitors of both serotonin and norepinephrine uptake.